“Mr Darwin, are you sure you want to start hiking without waiting for the arrival of the officials first?” Choi asked Darwin in a thick Korean accent. Currently, they were gathered for a discussion.
Darwin, who was extremely worried, nodded firmly. He thought he couldn’t delay any longer to search for his wife. He was really anxious that something bad might happen if he didn’t look for Veronica’s whereabouts up there soon.
In an instant, the image of his wife being frightened crossed Darwin’s mind. Especially since he knew that Veronica was climbing for the first time. Surely, up there, his wife would be in a state of panic and fear. Especially now that it was getting darker.
“I can’t wait any longer, sir. Like I said before, I know this track well. Even if we go back to climbing through the ascent route, it will take more time. Besides, my wife got lost on the descent trail. It’s better if we directly follow the path we came down from.”
Choi thought for a moment, weighing whether the advice Darwin just gave was feasible for them to execute afterward. Choi had to consider all the risks involved. They didn’t want to make a wrong move or decision in this situation.
“Alright. I will accompany Mr. Darwin to climb back on the descent route. But, I ask that we avoid doing anything dangerous. Everything should be done according to procedure so that we can all return safely.”
Darwin agreed with a nod. As he started climbing again, Kennedy and Park Hyo Jin took on the task of waiting for the mountain officials they had previously contacted for assistance.
“How did Veronica go missing, Win? Wasn’t she in front of you?” Randy asked.
At this point, he decided to climb the mountain again to help Darwin find Veronica’s whereabouts, wherever she might have been left. Along with Choi Min Soo and Lee Byun Hae, they slowly retraced their steps. Hoping that Veronica would give a sign. Or that they would hear her responding to the shouts and calls that they had been echoing one after another.
“For God’s sake, all along the way, I felt like she was just walking straight in front of me. Even if I noticed she wasn’t in the group, I would have called you guys earlier.”
“Could be, Mr. Darwin’s wife disappeared when the thick fog hit us in the middle of the descent,” Lee intervened. It was undeniable that the fog that had come down did disturb their visibility. They even had to use flashlights to avoid making wrong steps.
“Makes sense,” Choi replied, walking in the front. Staring straight ahead, he continued. “It’s likely that due to the short visibility range and obstruction, Mr. Darwin’s wife took the wrong direction or left the group. Especially since the spacing within our group isn’t tight. This might also be the reason she got left behind. Not to mention she’s unfamiliar with the trail.”
Darwin’s mind grew more restless as he continued. Especially after 30 minutes of hiking, he and the group still hadn’t found any signs of his wife.
“So, what do we do now, Ran?” Darwin asked anxiously. He couldn’t hide his worry at all. He was truly afraid that something bad might have happened to his wife.
“Hang in there, Win. We’re doing our best.”
“The problem is, it’s starting to drizzle. Veronica doesn’t have a raincoat in her bag. I’m afraid something might happen to her,” he complained honestly.
“Alright, just keep praying. Believe that Veronica is waiting for us to come get her. I’m sure she’s up there waiting for us.”
Darwin and Randy continued to climb the mountain, directing their flashlights left and right while calling Veronica’s name repeatedly.
Once they reached the post they had stopped at earlier, Darwin and the group tried searching every corner while calling Veronica’s name. Hoping that the beautiful woman would respond, but the result remained empty.
Even when the mountain officials finally caught up with them and helped with the search, Veronica still couldn’t be found.
“Mr. Choi, is it possible for us to continue the search to the next post? I’m certain my wife is there,” Darwin asked for confirmation.
“Wasn’t Veronica still at the post after the lake, Win? She even had a drink, right? So, it’s most likely that she got lost from the last post here, not up there,” Randy reminded.
Darwin was momentarily stunned. A few seconds later, he turned to look at Choi. After seeing the Navigator’s expressionless face, Darwin seemed to know what answer the man would give him. It was as if there was no hope for him to find his wife at the moment.
“It would be dangerous to continue the search to the next post now.” It wasn’t Choi, but one of the mountain officials who explained to Darwin. He was trying to make Darwin understand and not act outside the existing procedures. “It’s getting dark, sir. It’s better for us to go down. If it starts raining or even storming, we could all get trapped.”
“But, sir. What about my wife?”
“I promise, tomorrow morning we’ll search the mountain again with a larger rescue team so that your wife can be found soon.”
At that moment, Darwin immediately looked at Randy. He shook his head repeatedly, hoping his cousin would defend or reinforce his argument.
“What if Veronica gets wet, Ran? And if I can’t find her now, how will she sleep? She must be really scared right now.”
Randy sighed deeply. He was torn about how to proceed. On one hand, he empathized with Veronica’s uncertain fate. But forcing them to keep searching wasn’t an easy decision either.
“Win, it’s best to follow the mountain officials’ advice. They know better what they’re doing.”
“Randy!” Darwin interrupted. “I can’t just leave Veronica alone up there.”
“But you can’t be selfish either, Win. I’m sure Veronica is fine. Besides, the officials know best. I understand how you feel right now. What else can we do? We have to follow the procedure.”
Darwin grumbled in frustration. In the end, he had to reluctantly obey what the others were instructing. As he descended the mountain, he kept hoping that on the way back, he would find Veronica so they could go home together. But still, his wife remained undiscovered.
With a downcast expression, Darwin tried to keep his spirits up during the journey back. Even when they arrived, he didn’t pay much attention when Kennedy repeatedly called his name. His head hurt too much thinking about Veronica’s whereabouts that were still unknown.
“Darwin!” Kennedy kept calling insistently. Eventually, she even caught up and grabbed Darwin’s arm to make him follow her.
“What is it now, Ken?” Darwin snapped as Kennedy continued to pull him, unsure of where she was leading him.
“Don’t you hear me calling you?”
Darwin let out a long sigh. He seemed reluctant to engage with his cousin.
“Alright, Ken. I’m feeling dizzy. Veronica hasn’t been found. So, you don’t need to give me more headaches.”
“I actually want to help you,” Kennedy said, and then the man accelerated his pace before stopping at one of the checkpoint buildings. “Veronica has been found,” Kennedy continued.